Marie De France's Laustic By William Woods

The essay, “Marie de France’s ‘Laustic’” by William Woods, is a brief analysis of the ‘Laustic’ poem and demonstrates the literary skill of Mary de France. The analysis describes “the classic courtly love triangle- the hero’s love for a married lady” (4). The central point that Woods is trying to establish is the two apparent symbolism of the nightingale and the lack of conversation between all of the characters. Once the nightingale is introduced there is no longer any mention of love again. The obvious absence of verbal expression is so that the conversation between characters would not “slow the actions of her drama and would dilute the intensity of the suggested reactions which are all the more powerful for being left to the imagination